“It appears that Ahmed Hassan Bassyouni is being tried solely for publishing information readily available in the public domain and often published in local newspapers,” Amnesty said in a statement.
“If this is the case, Amnesty International would consider him a prisoner of conscience,” the London-based rights group added.
Bassyouni, 30, appeared before a military court on Tuesday charged with revealing military secrets and answering questions on the military without permission, Amnesty said.
He was arrested late last month after being interviewed on Egyptian radio about his Facebook group, called the “Conscription and Mobilisation Department,” the same name used by the official body in charge of Egypt’s military service.
After the interview, he was called back to the studio where military investigation officers were waiting for him.
Bassyouni, whose trial has been adjourned until Monday, had reportedly made it clear that his was not an official government website.
“The Egyptian authorities must end the practice of trying civilians before military courts. This is an abuse of the Egyptian judicial system and the right to a fair trial,” the rights group said.
Amnesty’s appeal comes just two days before a parliamentary election in Egypt that has been overshadowed by the mass arrest of opposition supporters and a government crackdown on dissent and criticism in the media.
Source: news24